Mitch Wesche

Mitch Wesche is a 20 year old, 3rd year apprentice fitter mechanic from Mackay, who’s employed at the Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal – he represents ETU apprentices employed by group training provider MRAEL at the terminal.

This is Mitch’s first conference after being elected delegate, representing the ETU apprentice members on site Mitch has found it interesting talking to and connecting with other groups of delegates and hearing about their struggles and successes

“It’s been really interesting to hear from other delegates about their struggles, strategies and campaigns, and I have really enjoyed hearing from Luke about the union’s strong values around inclusion It’s great to see headway being made to create equal opportunities for women, First Nations People, and migrants It’s also been really informative to learn about how different delegates are dealing with issues around union recruitment and dealing with management”

Mitch was elected delegate in 2022, has seen firsthand some of the management tactics used in negotiations and knows full well that if nothing changes, nothing changes, he is well aware that it’s a numbers game “Recruitment is so important and breaking down some of the misplaced views that as apprentices on a union site that they will be looked after by the tradies whether they are members or not It’s my job to show them the reality, and share the facts that we are exposed and at the mercy of the company if we don’t get and maintain a strong collective voice Some forget we are negotiating an agreement for electrical and fitter apprentices only, not the rest of the site Our success will be based on our ability to make an impact”

There are 22 apprentices on site, 11 electrical and 11 fitters, there is also an AMWU apprentice delegate

"I found the conference very interesting and informative as we heard from activists, journalists, the head of the Ombudsman and the Electrical Safety Commissioner Probably the most important bit was learning negotiation tactics from other members."

Why did you join the union?

“Ijoinedtheuniontoencourageafairandequalworkplace,whereeveryone enjoyscomingtowork”

Advice for other young electrical workers?

“Whennegotiatingyou’vegottohaveagameplan,talkwiththeworkgroup, andlistentowhat’sgoingoninothersitesandindustries Thiswillgiveyou abalancedviewofthesituation”

Biggest influences on career

The biggest influence on Mitch’s career is his dad, “he always believed that getting a trade was a great grounding that opened up opportunities and was always something to fall back on As for my union journey, I think I took on the role of helping fellow apprentices before I was elected delegate and it was a natural progression I’ve always been interested in looking after people.”

Best thing about being a sparky?

The variety of work and the opportunities ahead are what Mitch likes best about being a sparky “You’re never doing the same thing, and there are so many different places it can take you, especially with the huge changes coming up over the next 20 or so years ”

What does it mean to you to be part of the ETU?

“Beingpartofabiggerfamily,notjustonebutallofthemembersinCentral andNorthQueensland,fightingtogetherforacommoncause,decentwages, conditionsandfairness”

The future opportunities and challenges

Mitch sees great opportunities ahead with what he describes as the rapidly evolving energy landscape, and he wants to be part of the transformation “I’m keen to get involved in the power generation and transmission area especially around the grid expansion work that will be needed to connect the booming hydro and hydrogen industries ”

While he is optimistic about the future, he also sees some challenges ahead “It will be crucial to find and retain skilled workers and ensure quality doesn’t suffer to meet tight timeframes It will require good leadership and ongoing investment into skills and training.”

How do you feel about being part of the EBA negotiations?

Mitch quotes from the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise to describe his experience being part of the negotiating team that has seen little movement from management despite negotiations being ongoing for more than 6 months

“You have to be lost to find a place that can’t be found.”

Despite the frustration over the lack of progress, Mitch is learning a lot “It is frustrating to not have achieved more in six months, we seem to be negotiating with the middleman not the decision-maker Having said that, I am learning heaps about how to navigate the misty mysterious waters of negotiation, while also learning about processes. I think I’m learning some valuable life skills as well ”

Spare time

In his spare time, Mitch enjoys working on the family farm and wake boarding

“I head down to the Mackay wake park and do a bit, it’s great fun.”